1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to an improved authentication mechanism for data processing devices. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for location specific authentication of data processing devices using powerline networking.
2. Description of Related Art
Physical location is one of the harder aspects of computer security to ensure and verify. It is often quite desirable to restrict access to a data network to computing devices that are physically situated within the confines of a particular company, government agency, or other entity's physical location. For example, a company, government agency, or the like may wish to allow users to access a data network only when they are using a computer that is present within the building in which the company, government agency, or the like operates. This may ensure that the users of such computing devices are authorized employees of the company, agency or the like through the use of other security measures present in the building, e.g., ID cards, security guards, passcodes, and the like.
There currently is no adequate security mechanism for ensuring and verifying the physical location of computing devices. The known security mechanism for controlling access to data networks, or even access to computing devices themselves, are based on password, user identifiers, digital certificates, digital signatures, and the like. These mechanisms cannot by themselves be used to verify the physical location of computing devices.
Recently, the ability to transmit data over powerlines has been developed as a possible networking alternative. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,968 to Lee, entitled “Data Communication Using Power Lines,” issued Sep. 10, 1996, describes a mechanism in which message signals may be superimposed on an AC power signal. The message signals include a header that identifies the sending device and the intended recipient device. In this way, only the intended receiving network is able to trap the message signal.
In addition, a Canadian company by the name of Cogency has developed a system in which powerline integrated circuits make use of existing in-home AC electrical wires for transmitting digital data at high speeds. The Cogency approach to providing data communication over AC electrical wires is described, for example, in the white papers “Data Communications over Power Lines” and “Home Networking Over Power Lines,” available from www.cogency.com.
Even though data transmissions over electrical power lines is generally known, there are no current mechanisms for using these data transmissions over electrical wires as a means for ensuring the physical location of computing devices. In other words, there are no known mechanisms for controlling access to data networks and computing devices based on the data that is transmitted over electrical power lines.
Thus, it would be beneficial to have an apparatus and method for using the site specific nature of an electrical network as a means for ensuring physical location of data processing devices. Moreover, it would be beneficial to have an apparatus and method that uses security data transmitted over electrical powerlines as a means for determining whether data processing devices may operate or continue to operate as part of a data network.